Earth in danger of being surrounded by rings of debris

70 percent of all catalogued objects are in low-Earth orbit (LEO), which extends to 1200 miles above the Earth's surface. Source: ESA

The International Space Station (ISS) could become equipped with an ultra-modern laser gun to help protect it from space debris. However, according to scientists this may not be enough. Without a comprehensive approach to the problem, within 200 years debris could form rings around the Earth similar to the ones surrounding Saturn.

In 2017, the ISS will
set up the Extreme Universe Space Observatory, which will monitor space debris.
If the project proves successful the scientists will develop a laser gun. It is
expected to fuse dangerous particles from a distance of about 100 kilometers
and then direct them towards Earth where they will burn up in the atmosphere.
The project was developed by the Riken Computational Astrophysics Laboratory of
Japan.

Scientists believe that
lasers represent just one of the possible way to clear low Earth’s orbit of
unwanted particles. Russia is planning to create the Liquidator satellite
scavenger by 2025, which will remove parts from defunct satellites. The
Lomonosov satellite, which will observe space debris, is set for launch in
December 2015.

Space debris flies at a speed
of about eight kilometers per second. “The problem is very pressing,” Alexander
Zheleznyakov, a scientist at the Tsiolkovsky Russian Academy of Cosmonautics,
told RBTH. “In recent years, small
pieces of debris often hit spacecraft, causing serious damage. A two-centimeter
piece of debris can completely destroy a spacecraft. If even a grain hits a
piloted spacecraft, it will cause depressurization and the death of astronauts.”

Where does orbital
debris come from?

Scientists around the
world are trying to solve the problem of space debris. According to Ivan
Moiseev, the scientific director of the Space Policy Institute, until recently,
Russian and American space services were trying to track the movements of
debris pieces during launches of spacecrafts or to correct their orbits. “The
laser is useful because it can heat up the debris,” Moiseev says. “When it
starts evaporating a jet thrust is created. The debris flies towards the
Earth's atmosphere and burns up in it.”

The space debris issue
became particularly acute after the collision of satellites Cosmos-2251 and
Iridium 33 in 2009. The incident literally “showered” low Earth orbit with
debris at an altitude of 700-900 meters. Scientists have counted tens of thousands
of large fragments of a few centimeters in size and millions of smaller ones.

Another case that seriously
complicated the work of space services was an experiment by the Chinese
military after they shot down their own weather satellite in 2007. “The fragments
of the missile and the satellite will always revolve around the Earth,” Moiseev
says. He believes that in order to prevent similar disasters in the future, it
is necessary to introduce a legal framework for regulating space. Additionally
Moiseev thinks that the countries participating in the ISS project should agree
on how to share the costs of a laser gun being developed by Japanese
scientists. “Until a decision is made, nothing important can be done,” Moiseev
adds.

The situation is close
to critical

Mankind began studying
the problem of space debris in the early 1990s. Back then scientists from the U.S.
and the Soviet Union had already prepared a number of major forecasts that are
starting to come true. According to some experts, the situation is gradually
getting out of control.

“It is thought that the
amount of debris will be critical when it will start reproduction (of debris)
on a mass scale,” says Yury Zaitsev, head of the Institute of Space Research. “We
are now at a level that can be called close to the critical point.”

According to Professor
Andrey Nazarenko, author of the book “Space Debris Modelling,” debris fission causes
a dangerous process when fragments collide at high speeds. “Measures such as lasers
are local,” says Nazarenko. “They can solve the problem of safety for one
spacecraft or satellite. According to our estimates, in some 200-300 years humans
will not be able to launch spacecraft because space debris will form rings
similar to Saturn's rings around the Earth. Our planet would simply be
constrained by these small particles. It is possible that this could lead to
serious climate changes.”